The Alpaca Lifestyle - Magical Farms Alpacas

NEWSFLASH!invites you to its new series ofAlpaca Seminars!Throughout the year we will be hosting a seriesof seminars dealing with important alpaca topicsand we’re beginning with...MARKETINGIf you are looking for some new ideas orsearching for some tried and true methods ofinexpensively producing results, then you won’twant to miss this opportunity. Start now tomake 2001 your best year yet!Contact us at the farm for the next scheduled seminar date(330)667-3233 - info@alpacafarm.com - www.alpacafarm.comMarketing TipsBy Jerry ForstnerI have been marketing one thing or another for mywhole life and for the past eight years, alpacas. I givemany lectures around the country on marketing foralpacas but I am afraid that many farms just let the advicego in one ear and out the other. I suppose that the caveat is that we are just notready to market, or that it is too difficult or too expensive. We all love ouralpacas but without marketing, none of us will be successful. I will give aseries of marketing tips in the upcoming newsletters that have been verysuccessful for us at Magical Farms and can be done at very little expense.One thing that I have learned over the years is that newspapers are verylazy. They need to come up with print copy every day to fill their paper andit is a very difficult task for them to do so each and every day with out somehelp from the likes of us. AOBA sells for very little money a press folder thatis wonderful to put your story in and send to the papers. Any time there is anevent on your farm, not matter how trivial to you, send in a story to thepapers in your area, with pictures. Do this until they print something. Ipromise you that eventually they will print your story, and most likely theywill send someone to your farm and make it into a big story.The story can be about the birth of a new cria, a picture of your dog and/orcat with an alpaca, a picture with your child/and or grandchild with an alpaca,a story about shearing time, a story about small farms and wonderful livestock,etc. I think that you get the picture. This will cost you the time that it takesto write the story, the postage, and a few bucks for the cover from AOBA. Itwill bring results and you will have a lot of calls. When people call, be sure thatyou have animals for sale.it, move to the next step.3. We take a bicylcle tire with the clips and tie oneclip to the alpaca and the other end to a fence or asolid object that they cannot move. A nonmoveablefence works great. Talk softly andreassuringly but let go and back off fast so thatthey are not fighting you but pulling against thefence. This teaches them several things. If theystop fighting, the pressure lessens and by steppingfoward, the pressure on their face goes away. Theylearn that when you pull, they move forward. Theyalso learn that they cannot get away. If you haveseveral alpacas to teach, do them at the same time,lining them up with their buddies on the “bungies”(aka bicycle tire gadget). Let them stand the firsttime about 15 minutes (more or less...until theyget bored with the process and stand head up andare no longer pulling. Do not leave them alone.Stay with them to make certain that the bungiedoes not wrap around their neck. Then, approachcalmly and disconnect the bungie. Pull gently andencourage them to take a step by tug and release.Don't pull straight forward and drag them if youdon't get a response, rather pull from side to side.By pulling to the side, they get unbalanced andnaturally take a step and they will slowly learnwhat you want. As soon as step is taken, tell themyou are pleased release the pressure and start again.We have some who immediately take steps forward(ok...sometimes, baby steps... but stepsnevertheless) and a few who simply don't figure itout or want to fight more. Don't hesitate to retiefor a few lessons rather than fight or risk injury butusually we only have to tie once...sometimes twice.Special circumstances:Type 1: Runs, kicks. I'd retie until they stop thebehavior but if they continue, run along brieflybeside and then stop and become the fence, i.e. letthem pull on you and not the other way. By runningalong with them for a few steps, it confuses themand usually they stop. If they pull you along bywalking or hopping, go along with it. These learneasily that you are a team and will soon figure outthat you belong together.Type 2: Brief lessons each day. Be happy withjust a little progress each day. Tie each day for afew minutes if necessary. These respond to tyingand gentle pulling side to side with baby steps.Type 3: These are tough. The least little movementcan send them crashing to the ground, curling uptheir feet. If they do it once, I come up to them andtickle their belly or tail and they almost always getup. These really try your patience but I thinkthey are the most frightened so be patient. Talkwith them. Pick them up and stand them on theirfeet. If they won't straighten their legs to stand, tiethem on their bungie line and leave them there whileyou work with the others (but keep on eye onthem). Try to anticipate at what point they crashto the ground and each time stop short of thatpoint. Talk soothingly. Be happy with baby stepsand try to end each lesson on a positive note.Type 4: Tell them you love them and count yourblessings!Here's another trick that often works and we usedto do it with horses. Find a round pen or a squarepen approximatley 9' by 9'. Halter and bungie youralpaca and stand to their side. Then begin talkingand move towards their tail and they willinstinctively move foward. After awhile, startmoving up, not real close, but by their side andwalk with them for a few steps. If they stop,move back toward their tail, moving them fowardand repeat. We used to train horses like this andsince alpacas are herd animals, it has worked forus. Try different techniques with different alpacasif you need to but don't forget the tying techniquewhich works with all of the types I mentionedbefore.Overall, spend time talking. First lesson (with thetying process) is only about 20 minutes in total.Their attention span is short (and so is mine!) Ifeach day they make progress, stop on a positivenote. We keep records...the first day we usuallyrate most as poor or fair...fair if they take a fewsteps. That's all you can ask for the first lessonand that's alot to ask. If each lesson they get a littlebetter, ask for little more but be satisfied with someprogress. Ususally it takes between 6 and 8 lessonsto reach the very good level and longer for theexcellent level. When we can walk the alpaca downour driveway, through the barn, into the HOUSEor OFFICE (no kidding), then we feel that they areready to go to their first show. Don't expect theshow to be uneventful for the first timer. Be patient.You might not win because both you and youralpaca are nervous but it's a great learningexperience! Have fun and call if you have problems.-Libby